


Stay

by sagscrib



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Again, Backstory, Found Family, Gen, Trans Daiya, Trans Takemichi, so much found family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:22:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27659437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagscrib/pseuds/sagscrib
Summary: They made him feel like a person worth being around.
Relationships: Oowada Daiya & Oowada Mondo & Yukimaru Takemichi, Oowada Daiya & Yukimaru Takemichi, Oowada Mondo & Yukimaru Takemichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> There's going to be some mentions of abuse in this fic, please read with caution!

Takemichi didn’t fit a whole lot of places. He expected he never would- the shape of him wasn’t inviting, it was far too damaged, too strange to ever find a space shaped correctly. He wasn’t just a square peg in a world of round holes, he was a piece of driftwood with nails hammered into it trying to pass as a baseball bat.

It didn’t take long for an existence as lonely as that to get to a frustrated young kid. By the time he was 12 and in middle school, he had stopped trying entirely. Halfway through the year, he, against school regulations, stopped dying his hair and cut it short with a pair of kitchen scissors. His teachers had reprimanded him for it, but they knew by now that his foster parents were a long way from caring. They didn’t even pick up the phone when they called to discuss him wearing the men’s uniform.

He was always surprised he hadn’t been kicked out- not that he really cared one way or another. There’s no way he’d ever get into a good high school, let alone a good college, even with his test scores. He didn’t have the money, and no one else was going to pay.

For a while, he thought he was the only person in the school, if not the world, that felt that way. Then, he met Mondo Oowada.

He wasn’t hard to spot- he had an awful bleach job, but he wore it with pride. He was loud, as though he wasn’t afraid to be seen, wasn’t going to try and shrink into himself. He demanded attention, and Takemichi couldn’t help but comply.

Why, then, had Mondo stormed up one day to demand why he was always staring? And why did Takemichi freeze, unable to think of a sufficient excuse?

Before he could finish stammering, Oowada threw a punch at Takemichi, hitting him square in the jaw. Takemichi stumbled back, holding his cheek. He heard a small chorus of voices cheer- was there a crowd forming? Shit.

Takemichi felt his ears starting to heat up at the public humiliation. Getting hit wasn’t unfamiliar, wasn’t the worst thing in the world, whatever Oowada could deal out wouldn’t be half as bad as the shit he got at home, but at least there, no one was around to  _ watch. _

Oowada swung again, and Takemichi ducked. He rammed his head into his stomach, knocking them both to the ground, Oowada coughing and sputtering. More voices, a louder cheer. He reached over to try and hit him again, and Takemichi bit down on his wrist, hearing the joint pop. Oowada yelped and scrambled to his feet, pulling Takemichi up by the collar of his shirt.

Oowada got a few more hits in- one to his nose and two to his left eye- before a teacher showed up and pulled them apart, the crowd quickly dispersing before they could be found guilty by association. Oowada grimaced in his direction as they were dragged off.

The school nurse had, thankfully, still been around to patch them up some, before a teacher walked them to the front gates to wait for their parents to show up. Takemichi knew his folks wouldn’t be there, but maybe one of the older kids would get here before it got too dark. He doubted it, though.

All three of them stood silently, the teacher looking stern. Oowada shot a few dirty looks Takemichi’s way, but he didn’t return them- didn’t want to instigate further. He hadn’t wanted to fight in the  _ first place,  _ but it wasn’t up to him.

After what Takemichi guessed was about half an hour, a car pulled up in front of them. The man who stepped didn’t seem dressed for a meeting with staff- baggy pants, low tank top with part of a tattoo clearly visible on the left side of his chest. Any admonishments the teacher had went unstated, though- he was muscular and at least half a foot taller than she was.

He saw Oowada and smacked the back of his head. Oowada grumbled, but didn’t make a big fuss.

“I assume you’re his father?” Their teacher asked.

“Brother and legal guardian, Daiya Oowada. He get into another fight?”

The teacher was explaining the situation, but Takemichi wasn’t paying attention. He must not have parents either, then. Maybe that was why he acted the way he did.

Takemichi would have liked a brother, someone to look after him. The other foster kids were in and out too quickly to ever form a real connection, and Takemichi had no living relatives to speak of. Not that anyone could track down, anyway- otherwise, he’d probably be living with them. Blinking, he tried to tune back in.

“-both claim your brother started the fight, but she certainly got a fair amount of hits in,” she explained, gesturing to Takemichi. At the pronoun, Takemichi stared hard at the ground, and Daiya blinked at him, giving him a look he didn’t recognize. He assumed it wasn’t good.

“We suggest you stay here until her guardians show up, if it isn’t too much trouble.” Takemichi shrunk further into himself, wishing he could disappear.

“They aren’t gonna come.”

“I’m sure they will,” the teacher said, frowning.

“Did they even pick up the phone?”

There was a telling silence. Takemichi sighed quietly. She probably knew just as well as he did. Hopefully she’d take pity on him and let him get walking soon so he could get home before dark.

“I got work to get to,” Daiya said, and Takemichi perked up. “Is it cool if I just drop the kid off, talk to ‘em when I get there?”

The teacher looked from the older Oowada back to Takemichi, who nodded. She sighed, but let Takemichi go.

“Alright. Hop in the back, kid,” he said, and Takemichi did. He should probably be more concerned, he realized, going home with a stranger, but it was better than walking, and better than making the Oowadas wait for someone who wasn’t going to show up. The younger brother wasn’t too pleased about the situation, either, but Daiya made it clear that his input held no weight. He grumbled as they piled into the old pickup truck.

“Alright. Where’re we headin’, little man?” Daiya asked as he stuck his keys in the ignition.

“...Yukimaru’s house?” Mondo said, after a beat of silence.

“Obviously, dipshit,” Daiya said. “I need his address.”

Takemichi realized that  _ he _ was the one being spoken to and fought back a smile. He rattled off half of his last address out of habit before correcting himself.

“Hell yeah, we can stop by the corner store on our way,” Daiya said.

He tuned the radio to some music Takemichi didn’t recognize and the three of them sat in otherwise complete silence.

“Whatcha want?” Daiya asked as he pulled into the convenience store parking lot.

“Get me a coke,” Mondo said, and Daiya nodded.

“How ‘bout you?” Takemichi shook his head when the question was directed at him. “Alright, I’ll just pick somethin’. You two wait here. Don’t break my shit,” he said, and stepped out, leaving the car running.

There was a few minutes of silence before Takemichi decided to speak up.

“Sorry,” he said, staring at his hands.

“Wh- hey!” Mondo protested, turning around in his seat. “I was supposed to be the one to fuckin’ apologize!”

“Uh.” Takemichi struggled for what to say. “Sorry?”

“Don’t say it again!” He was shouting. Takemichi shrunk back. “Shit, uh- I didn’t mean to yell. Sorry. I do that when I’m nervous.”

“It’s ok,” Takemichi said, quieter than he meant to.

A beat of silence. “I’m sorry for, y’know, punchin’ you n’ shit, too. You didn’t really do nothin’. I just thought…”

“Whadja think?” Takemichi asked when he didn’t continue.

“I dunno. You were just always starin’ at me ‘n shit. I thought you were tryin’ to get me riled up.”

“Sorry.”

“You don’t hafta keep sayin’ that.”

“Ok.”

They sat in silence for a while longer. The radio switched songs.

“Why  _ do _ you always look at me?” Mondo asked, not turning around this time.

“I dunno,” Takemichi shrugged “I jus’ thought you were cool.”

“Really?!” Mondo shouted again. “I feel like a jerk. I’m sorry man.”

“Happens to the best of us,” Takemichi said.

“No it doesn’t. Do you go around beatin’ up kids?” Mondo groaned, hitting his head on his chair. “I’unno what’s wrong with me. I just… get mad, and it’s like I can’t focus on anythin’ else. All I can think about is how mad I am.”

“Maybe I could help,” Takemichi offered, before he could stop himself.

Now, Mondo did turn around. “Whaddaya mean?” He sounded hopeful, almost, and in that moment Takemichi swore he’d do his best to never let him down.

“A couple of my foster siblings were like that!” he said, determination quickly finding its place in his tone. “I could help them calm down. I could be like that for you!”

Mondo grinned. “Really? Ya ain’t bullshitin’ me?”

At the shake of Takemichi’s head, Mondo beamed, his smile nearly splitting his face in half, and almost fell out of his seat to grab at Takemichi’s hands. “Hell yeah! You’re the best, man!”

Takemichi returned his grin. He’d had friends before, sure, but they never lasted. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case this time.

“Looks like you two worked things out,” Daiya said as he opened the car door. Mondo ripped his hands away and crossed his arms.

“Piss off,” he said, and Daiya laughed. He tossed Mondo’s coke to him and handed Takemichi a bag of gummy worms.

“Thank you,” Takemichi said, smiling, and popped one in his mouth. He handed a few to Mondo, too, who quickly devoured the handful.

Daiya laughed at him, and Mondo laughed back, and it was nice.

The ride had been enjoyable for the first part, but the closer to his house they got, the more anxious Takemichi felt. His caretakers were volatile- he couldn’t be sure how they’d react, but he could bet on it being bad. Daiya must have noticed Takemichi shuffling in the back, because he sighed and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“I’m not gonna talk to your folks, kid,” he said, pulling up in front of the house. “Mondo apologized, and I ain’t out to get you in trouble. I just want you to be safe.”

And it was odd, Takemichi thought, how rare it was for his safety to be a priority. He nodded, not sure how to voice his gratitude.

Daiya pulled in front of the house and turned off the engine. “I’ll see you out, little man,” he said with a grin.

Takemichi smiled back as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He hoped he got to see Daiya again- he liked being called a little man.

As soon as they were at the fence, Daiya knelt down so they were on eye level.

“How long have you known you were a boy, kid?” he asked quietly.

Takemichi shrugged nervously. “I’unno. A while?”

“You cut your hair yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“How do your folks feel about it?”

Takemichi shrugged again. “Don’t think they know. They don’t pay attention to me if they don’t hafta.” Unless he did something wrong, of course, but Daiya didn’t need to know about that.

Daiya sighed, pulled out a pen and his receipt from the corner store, scribbled out something on the back, and handed it to Takemichi, along with a handful of 10 yen coins.

“Things ever get bad, or you need somewhere to hang out, or you just need someone to talk to for a bit, you can use a payphone to call this number and come over and play with Mondo, ok?”

Takemichi nodded. He wanted to say thank you, but the words didn’t feel like enough, so he just kept his mouth shut.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Daiya said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Folks’re gonna tell you there is, but they’re just bein’ shitty, a’ight? They’re the ones with somethin’ wrong with ‘em. You’re good, little man.”

Takemichi felt for a moment like he might cry, clutching the paper and coins and his slightly shaking fist. He hugged Daiya around the neck and tried not to sniffle.

“Thanks,” he said into Daiya’s shoulder. After the initial surprise, he hugged him back, patting him between the shoulder blades.

Takemichi pulled away and Daiya ruffled his choppy, uneven hair before straightening up.

“I can help you deal with this shit, kid, trust me. I’m the same way. Don’t tell anyone, though, a’ight?” Daiya said, grinning down at him.

Takemichi grinned back and mimed zipping his lips, which earned him another ruffle.

“Yer a good kid. Mondo better hang on to you.”

He watched as Daiya walked back to the car and started the engine, Mondo waving as they drove away and promising he’d save him a spot at lunch the next day.

For the first time, Takemichi started to feel like there might be somewhere he belonged.

* * *

“Y’hear Hyousuke’s movin’ outta the country?” Daiya asked over dinner. Takemichi had helped cook the chicken.

He had been hanging around the Oowadas for a while now, usually just heading home with Mondo after classes. Neither of them seemed to mind his company, and he liked it there. That was much better than he would have hoped for just a few years ago.

“Ah, what?!” Mondo protested, throwing his hands up in the air. “I was gonna join the gang in, like, 4 months! Now we gotta find a new bodyguard, and that takes a billion years!”

Right- their biker gang, the Crazy Diamonds. Daiya made no secret of being the head of one of the biggest, most feared groups in the country, but Takemichi always managed to forget. Neither of them were angry or intimidating or anything else he thought a biker was supposed to be.

“Wasn’t anything he could help, kiddo,” Daiya sighed. “His folks got a job offer overseas, and the pay’s good, from what he said. ‘Sides, none of these guys were gonna stick around forever.”

“I could guard you guys,” Takemichi offered, to which Mondo laughed.

“You’re fuckin’ tiny as shit.”

“Hey, don’t be an asshole,” Daiya said, but didn’t argue with him. Takemichi frowned.

“I’m serious!” he protested. “I’m already basically protectin’ Mondo at school.”

“I can protect myself!”

“Bullshit!”

“Boys,” Daiya said, stern. Then, more kindly, “he’s got a point, Michi. We don’t want you gettin’ hurt.”

Takemichi wanted to argue that he could handle any scrape he got into, even if the other person was big and scary, even if he got knocked down. He always got back up again, didn’t he?

For now, though, he bit his tongue. He couldn’t let the Oowadas know yet- but he had a feeling Daiya already suspected more than Takemichi let slip.

In the meantime, he decided, as he grumpily munched on his chicken, he’d have to find some other way to convince Daiya he was strong enough.

On his way home from school the next day, Takemichi stopped by the public library. Not sure what would help the most, he picked up books on as many fighting styles as he could, as well as a few on properly building muscle. It all seemed difficult, but Takemichi was determined to see it through.

There was a lot of equipment he didn’t have access to, but that wasn’t going to deter him. He used one of the library computers to ask for advice on a few forums and got responses from two boys around his age, going by the screen names ‘t0k1’ and ‘dogrice1981’, claiming to be training for mixed martial arts (and Hokuto Shinken, which Takemichi doubted was real) and track and field, respectively. Despite any faults, they were encouraging in their advice, and Takemichi was grateful.

There was plenty he could do without a gym or dojo, it seemed- he changed his daily walks to school to jogs, did sit-ups and push-ups when he was at home, studied the MMA moves recommended for beginners.

Once school let out for the year, Takemichi would spend the first half of the day working out and the second half with the Oowadas. He tried to stay present, but he was tired a lot of the time. Enough so that Daiya noticed.

“Hey, kid,” Daiya said quietly, shaking his shoulder. “You look like you’re about to collapse. What’s up?”

“Sorry,” Takemichi apologized, rubbing his eyes. “Today’s workout was tougher than I thought it was gonna be.”

Daiya looked confused. “What’re you workin’ out for?”

“You said I wasn’t strong enough,” Takemichi said, thinking it was obvious. “I needed to get bigger so I could be you and Mondo’s bodyguard.”

Daiya’s confusion turned to surprise, then amusement. Takemichi frowned at him.

“I’ll be honest, I expected you to just forget about the whole bodyguard thing,” Daiya chuckled.

“I didn’t!” Takemichi said, indignant. “I remembered and I’ve been working really hard!”

“I know, kiddo,” Daiya grinned, “I’m proud of you, stuff like that takes a lotta discipline.”

Takemichi looked at him, hopeful. “Does that mean you’ll let me protect you guys?”

Daiya paused for a moment before speaking. “Tell you what,” he said, straightening up. “You keep it up, we’ll make you an official Crazy Diamonds bodyguard when you turn 14. Our guys’ll help train you ‘n everything.”

Takemichi beamed. “You mean it?”

“Hell yeah, little man,” Daiya said, standing up straight. “Siddown, and I’ll get you a coke or somethin’. You don’t need to be collapsin’ in the middle of my living room.”

Half a year later, Takemichi was officially welcomed into the Crazy Diamonds. He told his old friends from the forums, and they were almost as excited as he was.

* * *

Takemichi covered his mouth and nose with one hand to stifle his sobs as he slowly opened the sliding glass door out onto the balcony of his foster home, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once the door was shut behind him, he sat down and took a moment to steady his breaths.

It was night- around 2 in the morning, if he were to guess. The air cooled the tears on his face and in his eyes and stung the red, irritated spots that were quickly starting to bruise. Once he had stopped shaking enough that he could ensure that he could scale one of the pillars of his house without tumbling to the street below, he climbed carefully down, walked his bike down the street so the noise of the engine wouldn’t wake his hopefully now-sleeping guardians, and sped off, not sure where he was going.

It didn’t matter. Anywhere was better than here.

He took a few deep breaths, resisting the urge to close his eyes against the wind. He hadn’t thought to grab his helmet, even though Daiya had said to never bike without it. He’d understand, Takemichi figured. Hoped. It wasn’t safe to go get it.

Still, he felt a bit guilty. Daiya and Mondo had given him this bike for his birthday a little over a year ago- it was Mondo’s old Kawasaki, which he had, in turn, gotten from Daiya, when he was younger. The least Takemichi could do was follow the rules they put in place, right?

He pulled to the side of the road to wipe at his eyes, then take in his surroundings. The leaves on the trees would be turning soon- a few had already turned shades of red and bronze and fallen to the street below. There was a park not far from here, he remembered, and-

Takemichi froze. Without realizing it, he had biked to the Oowada house. It made sense- he needed somewhere safe, somewhere warm, and they were the only people who had ever made him feel like he deserved to be either of those. Still, he mentally kicked himself, scrubbing a hand over his face.

The Oowadas had their own problems. They didn’t need to deal with Takemichi’s, too. He was already a financial burden, and now he was going to try and be an emotional one. He should just bike around until morning, maybe pick up some breakfast to bring over once the diner they all liked opened, spend the morning with them, act like nothing was wrong. Like he always did.

He had a leg swung halfway over his bike again when the door to the Oowada house opened, spilling light onto the street, Daiya silhouetted in the doorframe.

“Michi?” he asked, sounding half-asleep. Takemichi dug his nails into his palm, then looked up and waved awkwardly.

“Hi, boss.” His voice sounded weak and shaky in his ears.

“What’re you doin’ here, man? You coulda told me you were comin’ over, I woulda left a light on. C'mon in.”

Takemichi had half a mind to just hop on his bike and leave, but, truth be told, he didn’t want to. He was tired from crying and being hit and he was hurt and lonely and he wanted to be with his  _ family, _ consequences be damned. Resigned, he put his keys in his pocket and stepped forward.

As soon as he was illuminated, the soft smile fell from Daiya’s face, quickly replaced with a look of concern. “What the hell? How’d you get so fucked up?”

Takemichi shrugged. “Long story.”

“I got time. I’ll make coffee,” he said, stepping aside to let Takemichi in. Keeping his head down, still a little ashamed of himself, he stepped into the familiar entryway.

Not 10 minutes later, Takemichi was seated at the table, a cup of black coffee in his hands, Daiya across from him, neither of them saying anything.

He stared unwaveringly at the table in front of him. It didn’t feel too far off from an interrogation.

“So,” Daiya said, voice somehow both stern and gentle in a way Takemichi was sure was a skill exclusive only to him, “what happened?”

There was no room to argue, so Takemichi didn’t try. “Got beat up,” he said, shrugging, rubbing his thumb along the side of his mug.

“Yeah, I noticed. Who was it?”

Takemichi shrugged again. He didn’t want to say anything, didn’t want to make it real.

“...Your folks?” His voice was quiet now, gentle, as if he was just as afraid of the idea as Takemichi was. All Takemichi could do was nod.

Daiya slammed a fist down on the table, rattling the few scattered dishes. Takemichi’s eyes snapped up.

“I fuckin’-- how long has this been goin’ on?!” He was shouting. Takemichi winced.

“Always?” Takemichi said quietly, the word more of a squeak than anything. He wasn’t sure if that was the right answer- or if there even was one.

“And I just… I let you go back there. Every damn day.” He rubbed a hand over his tired face. “I’m so sorry, Michi. I- I shoulda known, shoulda put things together that first day, but… maybe I didn’t believe a world with any kinda good in it could ever hurt a kid like you. God, I’m sorry.”

_ He isn’t angry, _ Takemichi realized. Not at him, at least. He isn’t mad that Takemichi hid this, or that he was bothering him with his problems, or that he drove to his house in the middle of the night. The only thing he was upset with was that Takemichi was being hurt in the first place.

Takemichi didn’t realize he was crying again until he sobbed. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand and tried to stop. He had never cried in front of the Oowadas before, more than a little afraid that if he did, they would think he wasn’t tough enough and go to find another bodyguard, another friend.

“Oh, shit, kid, don’t- hey, hey, it’s ok,” Daiya said, up from his seat and beside Takemichi in seconds, pulling him into a tight hug. “You’re good. You’re gonna be ok. I’m not gonna make you go back anymore.”

Takemichi sobbed into the fabric of Daiya’s sleep shirt, still muffling his cries out of habit. Daiya murmured and rubbed his back.

“Hey,” Daiya said quietly, once Takemichi had calmed down a bit. He used a tone Takemichi last remembered hearing not long after he and Mondo first became friends. “You’ve heard me and Mondo talkin’ about promises between men, right?”

Takemichi nodded. He never asked for details, but he knew that they were the most important kind of promise a man could make, and they meant everything to the Oowadas.

Daiya stepped back from Takemichi so he could put his hands on his shoulders and look him in the eyes.

“I promise you, man to man,” he said, gentle and serious, “that I will never,  _ ever _ let you go through anything like that again, ok? I had to get me and Mondo out of a real similar situation all on my own, back when I wasn’t much older than you. But I’m not gonna let you be alone with this.”

Takemichi wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, so he settled for smiling softly and nodding.

“Thanks,” he said, his voice thick and watery. It wasn’t near enough, but it was a start.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright there was gonna be more to this but I didn't want to write about the race so u guys get everything up until then. anyways the oowadas cared about takemichi so much im right  
> I had written down some stuff about Takemichi's backstory in a fic I'm probably? never gonna finish or publish but it felt important to have my big hcs written down in one place  
> bonus. i was feeling soft about my friends and had to get it out hehe


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